Convertible service cabinet



Feb. 21, 1933. w J GREENEBAUM 1,898,299

CGNVERTIBLE SERVICE CABINET Filed Dec. 15, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Q N fizz/6212 07" ZUczZzerJGreemiaum Feb. 21, 1933. w. J. GREENEBAUM CONVERTIBLE SERVICE CABINET Filed Dec. 15, 19:50 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [rd/@1507 Zl/czZisr Grcezzefiaum Feb. 21, 1933. w. J. GREENEBAUM CONVERTIBLE SERVICE CABINET 'Fiied Dec.

15, .1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 [meld 074 Graerzsfiawrz I w rlllilll. Llll ll Zz/alie 3 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNIT D STATES WALTER J. GREENEIBAUM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS CONVERTIBLE SERVICE CABINET Application filed December 15, 1930, Serial No. 502,324.

This invention relates to convertible service cabinets more particularly for containers for liquid refreshments for use in the home.

Among other objects, theinvention pro- 5 vides a cabinet which in its closed position presents the ornamental appearance of a piece of furniture and which when opened may be converted into a structure simulating the amusing appearance of an old fashioned dispensing bar. 7

In one aspect, the invention is inclusive of means for forcing the cabinet into its eX- treine open position and for maintaining the coinciding faces of the cabinet sections co- 15 planar in said position.

These and other objects are accomplished by means of the illustrative construction shown in the accompanying drawings, in which' Figure 1 is a front elevation of a cabinet, embodying my invention, in its closed position;

Figure 2 is a perspective of the complemental sections in a partially open position of the cabinet;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective similar to Figure 2, but showing the reverse face of the cabinet;

Figure 4; is a fragmentary elevation showing the next stop following that shown in Figure 3 in the conversion of the cabinet to the appearance of a dispensing bar, and indicating the top rail in its preliminary posi- F. between the sect1ons;

Figure 5 is a perspective of the cabinet in" 50 drawings, I have shown, in general, acabinet tion before a tight joint has been produced 1 formed of two complemental sections 2 and 3 hinged together at an adjoining corner as at 4. The sections have one open face each and the cabinet is'in closed position'when the open faces of thesect-ions are abutting as shown inFigure 1. Locking means, as indi cated generally at 5, may be employed to se-. cure the sections together and thus lock the cabinet in closed position. Dowel pins 5a upon one of the sections, adapted to enter into cooperating holes 5?) on the other section, facilitate the mating of the sections and the producing of a tight joint therebetween when the cabinet is in closed position.

The interiors of the sections may be provided with shelves as indicated at 6, which shelves may if desired be latticed as at 7 to provide small compartments, each adapted to receive a bottle of liquid refreshment, for example. The latticed construction is effective to guard against displacement of the con tents of the cabinet when the sections are rotated as presently described.

The sections 2 and 3, which are desirably substantially rectangular in cross section to facilitate mating of the sections in the open and closed positions of the cabinet, are adapted to have relative rotation each With'respect to the other through an arc of one hundred and-eighty degrees, as best shown in'Figure 7 The operation of converting the cabinet is as follows:

When the cabinet has been opened from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 2, it may be turned around to the position shown in Figure 8,

. with the open faces of the sections toward the rear. The cabinet is desirably further opened fully to the position shown in Figure 5 to convert it into a structure simulating the appearance of an old fashioned dispensing bar, having the hand rail 8, preferably made I of wood, and the foot rail 9 which may be made of polished metal such as brass. A person serving the liquid refreshments may stand behind the cabinet in its position shown in Figure 5, thus having ready access to the interior of thecabinet through its open face (each section of the cabinet at such 'timehaving its open face toward the rear), and the top faces of the sections provide a counter 10, thus heightening the effect of a bar.

In order that the sections may mate perfectly to provide the effect of a permanent bar structure in the posit-ion of the cabinet shown in Figures 5 and 6, with a tight and smooth joint between the sections, I provide means for forcing the cabinet into its extreme open position and for maintaining the coinciding faces of the cabinet sections substantially coplanar in said positions.

When the cabinet has been opened fully from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Figure 5, a tight and smooth joint is desirable between the sections, as at 11. To accomplish this, in the illustrative construction, I provide the rails 8 and 9 with the tapered tongues 12 rigidly attached thereto near the extremities of each of the rails. Each tongue 12 may be attached to a rail by a supporting arm 13, which may be formed integrally with the tongue and which partially encircles the rail desirably to a sufficient extent to support the rail from below. Screws 14 passing through appropriately located holes in the supporting arm and engaging the rails serve to secure the attachment.

The tongues 12 are adapted to engage socket members 15 affixed to each of the sections 2 and 3, one near the top and one near the bottom of each section, and appropriately spaced apart to permit the tongues 12 of a given rail to be placed in engagement with a. socketmember on each section, as shown in Figure 4. Each socket member 15 has a tongue engaging surface 16 which is angularly related to the corresponding surface on the opposing socket member on the adjoining cabinet section. Since the tapered tongues 12 also have opposing angularly related edges engaging the surfaces 16, when opposing tongues are forced down into opposing socket members the sections 2 and 3, are, by a cam action, forced together into their extreme open position, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, each of the rails 8 and 9 being then in place. An elongated tongue 17 is desirably disposed upon one of the mating faces of the section 3, and is adapted to enter a groove 18 in the corresponding face of the section 2. Thus a tight and smooth joint is assured between the sections when the cabinet is in its extreme open position in the form of a dispensing bar, as described.

The elongated tongue 17 is desirably of the same material as the cabinet and has its edges rounded so as to blend in with the ornamentation of the cabinet and thus be inconspicuone when the cabinet is in closed position. The socket members 15 may also be of an ornamental material such as gun-metal and may be mounted on the cabinet sections -through the intermediation of a base member 19 of the same material as the socket members. Screws 20 are shown passing through the socket member and the base member and into the cabinet section.

The cabinet sections may be provided with casters 21 to facilitate the rotating of the sections as described.

The rails 8 and 9 when not in use are de sirably contained within the cabinet. As here shown in Figure 2, one of the intermediate shelves 6 may have an aperture therein permitting the rail to be slipped therethrougl'i and to rest on a lower shelf, thus storing the rails conveniently and compactly.

Such changes may be made as fall within the scope of the following claim without departing from the invention.

Having described one embodiment of my invention, I claim:

In a convertible service cabinet, two rectangular sections hinged together and adapted to have a relative movement of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees, said cabinet being closed in one extreme position of relative movement of said sections and in another extreme position of said sections presenting an open face, casters supporting the cabinet, a plurality of pairs of socket members on coinciding faces of said sections opp-ositesaid open face of said cabinet when said cabinet is in extreme open position, respective pairs of said socket members having opposed angularly related surfaces, a plurality of pairs of tapered tongues having opposed angularly related edges engaging respective pairs of said surfaces of said socket members, removable rails rigidly connecting said respective pairs of tapered tongues, said rails-being vertically spaced. apart substantially the height of the cabinet and holding the cabinet in extreme open position, a tongue and groove oint between said sections whereby pressure of the said tapered tongues into engagement with said sockets forces said sections together into extreme open position of said cabinet to provide a tight joint between said sections in said position and coinciding faces of said sections are maintained coplanar, means for storing said rails in said cabinet when in closed position; and means apart from the rails for locking the cabinet in extreme closed position.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

WVALTER J. GREENEBAUM. 

